Perry Joins the Two-Step
January 15th, 2007 at 9:56 am
On Friday the governor joined the procedural go-round when he designated two pieces of emergency legislation. The most urgent issue is getting around the state’s spending cap, which is set every two years to match the projected growth of the Texas economy. This session, however, legislators need to bust the cap to pay for the property tax cuts passed last session.
Everyone knew this was coming, so why the emergency? Because time is of the essence when you want to pass the buck.
There are two ways to break the cap: lawmakers can vote to exceed it or they can put the issue before the voters as a constitutional amendment. To get the amendment on the ballot for a special election in early May — allowing lawmakers to pass the budget by the end of the session — the measure has to be out of the lege by February, which requires the emergency designation. Voters presumably will feel compelled to approve the amendment because the alternative is to cut billions from existing state services.
In the end, the whole dance allows lawmakers to avoid voting for a measure that could be construed as increasing government spending. A nasty little blemish like that on a fiscal conservative’s voting record could be troublesome come primary time.
January 16th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Texas Statehouse or Whorehouse?
Real pretty mouth and hair!
Intellectually - ain’t much there!
Consortin’ for profit with the most immoral?
Knack for acts mostly oral?
Yanked by a chain of greed?
Paint Creek will shocked indeed?
Everything he swallows for longevity?
Results in just more mediocrity?
Rotten scandalous smell!
Years to dispel!
Dark days ahead for Texas
Hubert Wilson
January 17th, 2007 at 10:16 am
I dislike Perry… Period!!!
Don’t write about… please?
January 17th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Perry two-step? He fancied himself more of a rocker at the inaugural ball. Watch him sing with Clay Walker and get ready to laugh. “Sweet Home Austin Texas??”
January 30th, 2007 at 10:05 am
[…] Getting rid of the waiting period would open the door, possibly, to legislators hustling through controversial bills or pet proposals early in the session. If today’s resolution doesn’t pass, each bill that legislative leaders want a vote on will need that four-fifths majority in order to pass until March 9, although Perry’s emergency legislation won’t be affected. […]